Ostroróg, Jan

Ostroróg, Jan

Born circa 1436 in Ostroróg, Poznań Województwo; died in 1501. One of the first Polish humanists; publicist.

Ostroróg studied at the Universities of Erfurt and Bologna. In his Memorandum on the Reform of the Commonwealth, first published in 1831, he argued for Poland’s sovereignty and its independence of the papacy and proposed a number of reforms, including the strengthening of royal power, subordination of the church hierarchy to the state, taxation of church property, and legal protection of the rights of townspeople and peasants. The Memorandum reflects the views of progressive elements among the Polish nobility and the influence of Hussite ideas.

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